Should we paint lines on the drill square

Old-Salt

Just watching an article on Forces News (Tues 20th Feb 18 ) about the Military College in Kuwait, and the final bit (approx 7mins in) shows them marching across the square in pretty good order.
This is probably helped by the fact that there are a vast amount of straight lines painted on the square.
I know that they put small markers out for Trooping of the Colour etc, but can anyone see this taking off here in the UK.

LE

Those of you who are familiar with the hallowed ground of RMAS will know that Old College does indeed posses a mighty fine Drill Square, being all square shaped and military and whatnot.

Conversely, New College does not. Built on a crescent shaped piece of land, New College parade ground sweeps majestically round in a gentle arc, thus denying the more military minded members of the Army the opportunity to practice drill on a square area of ground.

Such things are an anathema to those who are qualified to teach Officer Cadets the art of moving in short, sharp, jerky movements. After all, it is a Drill Square, not a Drill Crescent.

Enter the new, New College RSM, who was seized with a pathological dislike of this arrangement as soon as he took office. At great effort, naughty OCdts on ROPs were provided with bits of string, spirit levels, poles and cans of white paint and brushes and directed, on pain of back terming, to paint a magnificent white drill square inside the offending crescent shape. One fine Wednesday afternoon, while the rest of the Academy took part in gentleman sports such as beagling, rugger, cross country or sleeping inside their rooms with the door locked, the painted drill square was completed.

This did not escape the notice of the less military minded members of the Commissioning Course, who, from their windows noted the arrival of the square and prepared accordingly.

The next morning started with unusually angry military shouting as the New College RSM noted his magnificent new Drill Square had been defaced. Gleeful OCdts opened their curtains to see that the new white square, magnificent as it was, had now been added to. An enterprising OCdt had taken the liberty of adding to the square a painted halfway line, a centre circle, centre mark, corner arcs, corner flags, goal areas, two full sized football goals and a couple of spare footballs and the Company tasked with the morning litter sweep was taking the opportunity to have a kick about.

The offending white lines - all of them - were immediately washed away in a fury of angry shouting and threats of stoppage of leave and the OCdts duly resumed Drill on the offending crescent forevermore.

And at Keogh barracks there was once a turd on the platform. This caused the RSM to place a guard overnight on the square to prevent the phantom crapper from striking again before the corps day parade.

also available in sarcastic

Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned.

LE

Despite the best efforts of successive governments and certain elements of its own chain of command, aided and abetted by the Royal Navy and the RAF, the British Army remains the British Army and not a native militia. Are you some sort of anarchist loafer?

‘Men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place nor appointed destination. The enterprise is to keep afloat on an even keel.’ - Michael Oakeshott

LE

Kids - you spend 4 years teaching them to speak and the next 14 years telling them to shut up.

And the military equivalent is having a body of soldiers, erect and closely grouped, marching in straight lines at constant pace - then telling them to spread out, crouch, stagger their spacings and dash, down and crawl.

Old-Salt

Kids - you spend 4 years teaching them to speak and the next 14 years telling them to shut up.

And the military equivalent is having a body of soldiers, erect and closely grouped, marching in straight lines at constant pace - then telling them to spread out, crouch, stagger their spacings and dash, down and crawl.

LE

Just watching an article on Forces News (Tues 20th Feb 18 ) about the Military College in Kuwait, and the final bit (approx 7mins in) shows them marching across the square in pretty good order.
This is probably helped by the fact that there are a vast amount of straight lines painted on the square.
I know that they put small markers out for Trooping of the Colour etc, but can anyone see this taking off here in the UK.

In the days when the time and location of battle were mutually agreed, did the opposing forces spend days beforehand manicuring the battlefield. And were the victors responsible for tidying up afterwards?

LE

In the days when the time and location of battle were mutually agreed, did the opposing forces spend days beforehand manicuring the battlefield. And were the victors responsible for tidying up afterwards?

ADC

Those of you who are familiar with the hallowed ground of RMAS will know that Old College does indeed posses a mighty fine Drill Square, being all square shaped and military and whatnot.

Conversely, New College does not. Built on a crescent shaped piece of land, New College parade ground sweeps majestically round in a gentle arc, thus denying the more military minded members of the Army the opportunity to practice drill on a square area of ground.

Such things are an anathema to those who are qualified to teach Officer Cadets the art of moving in short, sharp, jerky movements. After all, it is a Drill Square, not a Drill Crescent.

Enter the new, New College RSM, who was seized with a pathological dislike of this arrangement as soon as he took office. At great effort, naughty OCdts on ROPs were provided with bits of string, spirit levels, poles and cans of white paint and brushes and directed, on pain of back terming, to paint a magnificent white drill square inside the offending crescent shape. One fine Wednesday afternoon, while the rest of the Academy took part in gentleman sports such as beagling, rugger, cross country or sleeping inside their rooms with the door locked, the painted drill square was completed.

This did not escape the notice of the less military minded members of the Commissioning Course, who, from their windows noted the arrival of the square and prepared accordingly.

The next morning started with unusually angry military shouting as the New College RSM noted his magnificent new Drill Square had been defaced. Gleeful OCdts opened their curtains to see that the new white square, magnificent as it was, had now been added to. An enterprising OCdt had taken the liberty of adding to the square a painted halfway line, a centre circle, centre mark, corner arcs, corner flags, goal areas, two full sized football goals and a couple of spare footballs and the Company tasked with the morning litter sweep was taking the opportunity to have a kick about.

The offending white lines - all of them - were immediately washed away in a fury of angry shouting and threats of stoppage of leave and the OCdts duly resumed Drill on the offending crescent forevermore.

The New College square was only used for 'forming up' for excercises and morning Musters during my time there. It was also used on Sat afternoons for Cadets extra Drills. It always used to amuse me that when the punishment drill was over, each cadet approached halted and said 'Thank you for your punishment Staff!' Very happy days, I was most privileged to have been there!

MIA

And at Keogh barracks there was once a turd on the platform. This caused the RSM to place a guard overnight on the square to prevent the phantom crapper from striking again before the corps day parade.